The 5 coolest things Samsung unveiled at CES 2016

The annual Consumer Electronics Show is the biggest consumer tech event of the year, and Samsung typically has the biggest presence among large CE companies at the show. CES 2016 continues Samsung’s trend of big spending and big announcements to kick off the New Year, and the company had a lot to show off during its press conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon.

Samsung used its press conference at CES to as a launch pad for a number of new products we’ll see roll out in the coming months, and the company has even more to show off at its booth on the show floor. In this post, we’ll cover the five coolest things Samsung unveiled at CES 2016.

New SUHD TVs

There are several companies that can be listed among the top TV brands in the world but if you ask us, there’s only one that consistently releases TVs with higher-quality display panels than anyone else — and that’s Samsung. The company’s HDTVs feature picture quality that is simply astounding and colors that are so vivid they jump off the screen.

In 2016, Samsung’s TVs will get even better.

Samsung’s 2016 SUHD television lineup features HDR displays with 1,000 nits of contrast. The typical wide range of options you would expect to see will also be there, such as curved displays and ridiculously thin bezels. There’s even one model with a curved design and no bezel. Samsung’s new SUHD TVs also cover all sizes up to 89 inches.

Where smart features are concerned, the company’s new high-end TVs all feature smart home elements from Samsung’s SmartThings platform in addition to standard smart TV features like app support. Here are some highlights from Samsung’s release:

New Smart Hub – The 2016 Smart Hub is designed to provide users with simple access to their favorite content all in one place. Live TV, over the top (OTT), games and even the menu that appears on the home screen of the Samsung Smart TV allows users to access their favorite programs as soon as they turn on the TV.

Samsung Smart Control remote – The new Samsung Smart TV eliminates the need to juggle multiple remote controls. The Samsung Smart TV will automatically recognize the type of set-top box, game console, OTT box or home theater system that is connected to the TV. This allows users to control all of the external devices with the Smart Control remote — with no setup required.

Console-less Gaming – Consumers can enjoy the most realistic gaming experience on a large screen without the need for a console. More than 500 streaming and downloadable games will be available on the 2016 Samsung Smart TVs. Recent additions for PlayStationTMNow include Assassin’s Creed III, Batman: Arkham Origins, The LEGO Movie and many more.

EXTRA Service – With a push of the EXTRA hot button on the Samsung Smart Control remote, information related to the content will appear onscreen instantly. Users can see player profiles and stats during sporting events, information on cast members for their favorite TV shows and more.

Smart View – The Samsung Smart View mobile app allows users to share their favorite content instantly with their family. The upgraded Smart View is now available beyond Samsung Galaxy devices, supporting Android and iOS devices, as well as Window PCs. Popular apps and websites including AccuWeather, Crackle, iHeartRadio, M-GO, Plex, Pluto.TV, UFC, Vimeo, YuppTV and more are all also Smart View enabled, so consumers can begin the entertainment experience right within the apps and services they enjoy most.

More access to content – Streaming UHD movies and TV shows from providers such as Amazon, M-GO, and Netflix and accessing apps such as YouTube has gotten even easier. UHD technologies developed by NeuLion will also enable a selection of sporting events to stream UHD Consumers can also connect Samsung’s new Ultra HD Blu-ray Player via HDMI (2.0a) for access to UHD movies with HDR. Direct access to live programming from providers such as Dish and Time Warner Cable is simplified.

Samsung’s new SUHD TVs will begin rolling out in March.

Family Hub Refrigerator

A $5,000 fridge? Seriously?

Trust us… you want this refrigerator. Here are some key details:

Improved Food Management: Three built-in cameras take a photo of the inside of the refrigerator every time the door is closed so consumers can always see what they have wherever they go, via their smartphone. Samsung has also partnered with MasterCard to offer a seamless online shopping experience through the Family Hub Refrigerator. Using the app on the refrigerator’s touchscreen, consumers can easily find and purchase items from multiple retailers, directly from their kitchen, all finished with a single, simple checkout process that accepts U.S.-issued credit and debit cards.

Family Communication Center: The Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator enables the family to write notes, post photos, share calendars and artwork, right on the refrigerator’s touchscreen, or using their smartphone if they are away.

IoT Technology Enabled: As a connected Samsung product the Family Hub Refrigerator is also a truly dynamic and evolving product platform that will leverage the power of Samsung’s IoT services. For example, consumers will be able to check their home’s doors are locked and turn off the lights right from the Family Hub screen.

Connected Entertainment: With the Family Hub Refrigerator’s built-in stereo speakers, people can stream their favourite music service, or TV content from their Samsung Smart TVs directly to the touchscreen, as well as connecting to their own Bluetooth speakers.

Samsung Galaxy TabPro S

Image Source: Samsung

Slated to launch in February, the Galaxy TabPro S is a Windows 10 machine that will give Microsoft’s surface lineup a run for its money. The new notebook features a smart design, lightweight build and a beautiful 12-inch Super AMOLED display with 2K resolution. The tablet itself is 6.3 millimeters thick and weighs just 693 grams, yet it packs a battery that can deliver up to 10.5 hours of usage per charge.

Here are the key specs:

Samsung rink

Samsung’s Gear VR is one of the most fun new products we’ve used in the past couple of years, created in partnership with the virtual reality experts at Oculus. Now, Samsung’s new rink controllers push things to the next level.

These nifty controllers fit over the user’s hands and sense motion as the user’s hands move. The possibilities are endless — check out this video of rink in action to see what we mean:

Samsung Welt

I can’t remember the last time I saw such a nifty product with such an awful name.

As someone who wears a fitness tracking band every day of my life, I can attest to the fact that there are some days I’d rather not be wearing one. I’ve never worn any accessories other than a watch, and fitness bands don’t really blend well with formal wear.

Soon, there might be a more subtle way to track your activity.

“WELT is a smart wearable healthcare belt that looks like a normal belt, thus offering consumers a more discreet way of using smart sensor technology to monitor their health,” Samsung said in a blog post. WELT is capable of recording the user’s waist size, eating habitsand the number of steps taken, as well as time spent sitting down. It then sends this data to a specially-designed app for analysis, and the production of a range of personalized healthcare and weight management plans.”